Loyalties
by EmD23
Summary: Suigetsu and Juugo have a lakeside conversation in which they discuss their plans and just how loyal they are to Sasuke and Team Taka. *Companion piece added*
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is more of a drabble than a small oneshot. It's just this little idea that's been stuck in my head.

**WARNING: This story contains spoilers for up to Chapter 404 of the manga.**

Loyalties

The sky was pitch black, save for the dim stars sprinkled across it and the moon, which shone rather weakly. Hozuki Suigetsu sat by a lake, staring into its depths as the moon was reflected on it. At his side laid the Kubikiri Hocho, once belonging to the late Momochi Zabuza of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Suigetsu merely stared at the water and would have continued had he not sensed someone nearby. He immediately grabbed the hilt of his sword, but relaxed when he saw that the person nearby was Juugo, Suigetsu's teammate.

Juugo walked towards Suigetsu and stopped when he reached him, moving so that Suigetsu's sword was between them. He joined Suigetsu in staring at the lake. They stayed quiet until Suigetsu suddenly spoke.

"That guy must be pretty strong…to block me with one arm."

Juugo knew Suigetsu was reffering to the incident earlier today, in which he had attempted to attack Akatsuki member Hoshigaki Kisame. Suigetsu had swung, only to be blocked by another Akatsuki member, Uchiha Madara. What was surprising was that Madara had blocked Suigetsu easily with just one arm, leaving the teen stunned.

Juugo broke his gaze away from the lake and looked at Suigetsu. "You shouldn't have lost your temper," he said quietly.

Suigetsu gave Juugo his bone-chilling smile, exposing all his sharp teeth. "Heh." He found it ironic that Juugo of all people was telling him to control his temper. Granted, Juugo's momentary lapses into psychotic rage weren't his fault, but it was amusing nontheless.

They both returned to staring at the lake, not saying anything. This was especially rare, since Suigetsu rarely kept quiet. Juugo concluded that Suigetsu must be thinking hard about something important. After about 5 minutes, the white-haired member of Team Taka broke the silence once again.

"This Madara guy," he said slowly, surprisingly serious, "he's really manipulating Sasuke, ain't he?"

Juugo was caught off-guard by this statement and looked at Suigetsu, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Suigetsu merely ignored this question and continued to speak. "Not that I care. First chance I get, I'm killing Kisame and taking Samehada," he said, reffering to Kisame's sword. "Sasuke can go to hell after that."

He turned to Juugo and once again gave him the sharp-pointed smile.

"So you're leaving?" Juugo asked after a moment's silence.

"This war that Sasuke's planning against the Konoha elders is gonna be hard," Suigetsu said. "It's gonna be one hell of a bloodbath. My loyalty doesn't lie with Sasuke. I just joined Taka so I could get Samehada. What do I gain from fighitng in a war that doesn't concern me?"

Juugo turned his gaze away from Suigetsu and returned to staring at the lake. Fish began to jump and go back into the water, causing ripples to break the lake's tranquil surface. "I don't see the meaning of this pointless fighting either, but I'm staying with Sasuke." He paused, then continued. "I'm guessing you're planning to take Samehada and run before we invade Konoha."

Suigetsu frowned slightly. "No, I'll stick around. Lots of blood to spill. I might fight and kill a few." He grinned at the thought. "I'm leaving as soon as things turn bad though. I'm not going to get killed over Sasuke's stupid vendetta."

Juugo opened his mouth to respond but then tensed as he felt someone approach. A voice broke the silence.

"There you two are!"

It was Karin, the red-haired female of Team Taka.

"Sasuke's looking for you two! We're having a meeting about capturing the biju," she said. Juugo began walking towars her as Suigetsu got up and bent down to pick up his sword. "Hurry up you idiot!" Karin said, looking at Suigetsu with disgust.

"I'm going, you hag. Stop screaming like a banshee."

SMACK!

Water hit the ground. Karin had stormed up and slapped Suigetsu in the face, causing the swordsman's head to burst into water. Karin huffed and began walking back to headquarters.

"Heh," said Suigetsu as his head reformed. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he too began his way back to headquarters.

Juugo sighed and followed them,and soon the three of hem disappeared into the shadows as the lake's surface once again became calm.

* * *

A/N: I'm actually pretty happy with this one. Please leave a review and constructive critism if you have any. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: To help me get back into the Naruto mood

"Where's my damn sword…" muttered Hozuki Suigetsu as he looked at the remains of what had previously been the battleground between Hawk and the 8 tails host, Killer Bee. Suigetsu snarled as he looked at the barren wasteland. There was absolutely no sign of his sword.

"Karin's such a stupid whore…"

"Really now? If she was a stupid whore, why did you protect her?"

Suigetsu turned around at the sound of Juugo's voice. The child approached him, a small smile on his face.

"The hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the lakeside conversation we had not too long ago. You know, where you didn't care about Sasuke or any of us?"

"What about it?" asked Suigetsu, looking at Juugo in annoyance.

"If you don't care, as you said, then why did you sacrifice yourself?"

Suigetsu froze and stared at Juugo. Ever since the psychotic bastard had used his flesh to heal Sasuke, he had turned into a kid who, while for the most part retained his normal personality, had childish bouts in which he would not shut up.

"Sasuke…was the only one strong enough to defeat the host. If he died, then I would have died as well, and I wanna stay alive."

"Funny. If you insist so much on staying alive, you sure didn't seem to care when you tanked that chakra blast. Now what's the real reason?"

Suigetsu sighed. "I liked it better when you talked less," he grumbled. He turned away and closed his eyes. Juugo watched him quietly.

"Go back."

"Sasuke-"

"Fuck Sasuke, I'm telling you I don't need your help to find my sword," Suigetsu snarled. Juugo gave him a long, hard stare. It was the kind he used to give back when he was around their age, before Killer Bee had kicked Taka's collective ass. Finally, his eyes diverted.

"As you wish."

Juugo walked away and Suigetsu turned around. He pressed forward towards the village outskirts.

* * *

Hozuki wasn't stupid. He knew that if he walked in he'd probably be taken for questioning on grounds of trespassing. Thankfully, the Cloud's wanted posters didn't depict him (probably because he had been nothing more than a puddle when Taka escaped) and Suigetsu was smart enough to ditch his Akatsuki cloak. However, he still had no means to infiltrate the village. He would stick out like a sore thumb if he walked in pretending to be a pedestrian. After all, white hair and purple eyes was not common in the Cloud village.

"Where is my sword…"

Suigetsu continued to hide in the shadows of nearby cliffs and looked at the village entrance. He tried to find a body of water that ran into the village, but was unable to locate one. He growled in frustration and his earlier conversation with Juugo came to mind. He claimed he wasn't loyal to anyone other than himself, so why did he protect his teammates with his life? A memory from long ago came to mind.

_Flashback_

"_What's a coup d'etat?" asked a young Suigetsu, looking at his older brother. _

_"It's nothing," replied Hozuki Mangetsu, giving Momochi Zabuza a glare. The Demon of the Mist snorted._

_"It's an idea, runt," Zabuza told Suigetsu._

_"Go to bed Sui, I'll be there soon." Suigetsu nodded and went to the tent he shared with his brother. Once Suigetsu was gone, Mangetsu glared at Zabuza._

_"I'd appreciate if you didn't fill his head with those kinds of ideas sempai," he said. Zabuza snorted from his position, which happened to be a log in front of the small fire that the 3 of them had built after a long day of training. He grabbed one of the fish that had been planted into the ground with a stick and began eating it. Neither of them had noticed that Suigetsu was listening to their conversation._

_"I don't see what's wrong. Our Mizukage is an outsider, and a fucking Uchiha to boot."_

_"Uchiha?" Mangetsu asked, surprised._

_"Yeah," Zabuza said, picking fish bones from his teeth. "It's apparently some asshole that's supposed to be famous. He's supposedly dead, but apparently not, looking at things."_

_Mangetsu stayed quiet fro a few minutes before speaking. "What about your loyalty to the village? You can't just assassinate the Mizukage. He's stabilized this village from the War!"_

_"My loyalty IS with Kiri," Zabuza growled. "Don't you ever insinuate I'm not loyal to my village." His eyes had flashed and his killing intent was suffocating Suigetsu. Mangetsu had flinched._

_"This guy has taken the village by force and has only raised us specifically to be sacrifices in his war with Konoha," Zabuza said. "We're nothing more than meatbags and pawns. I will not let my village become a sacrificial piece. I'm killing him."_

_"You honestly think you can assassinate the Mizukage?" Mangetsu asked._

_"It's worth a try."_

_"Then why not just warn Konoha?"_

_"Are you retarded?" Zabuza asked. "This seal that was put on all active ninja and older civilians was to keep our mouths shut," he said, signaling to his back. It had been the first thing the new Mizukage had done. "Suigetsu will probably get one soon, the way he's advancing. He's got talent."_

_"He does, with you and Kisame teaching him he'll be an excellent swordsman," Mangetsu agreed. His eyes widened. "What about Kisame? He's the Mizukage's bodyguard. He would help you if he knew what's going on. So would the other Swordsmen of the Mist."_

_"Kisame's loyal to the Mizukage and he knows of his true identity. The bastard's already chosen a side. And since Raiga bailed, there's only 5 of us Swordsmen. And none of them want to risk their necks. Cowards, all of them," Zabuza growled. He got up. _

_"Kisame knows where his loyalty lies, as do I," he said quietly. "And now it's your turn to choose." With that, Zabuza left for his tent, leaving Mangetsu alone at the fire._

_End Flashback_

Suigetsu was shaken out of him daydream by the feeling of a presence near him. Swiftly, he turned himself into a puddle of water just as a man walked by. Suigetsu resisted the urge to reform himself and kill the man right there. The guy had Suigetsu's sword strapped to his back! Suigetsu continued to watch as the man approached a small cottage on the village outskirts and entered it.

Suigetsu grinned his terrifying pointed grin as he approached the house.

* * *

Kawazaka Aoi was glad to be home. It had been a hard day for him and he wanted nothing more than to take a shower and go to bed, despite the fact that it was only the afternoon. As he removed his sword from his back, his eyes passed over his Kumo headband and anger filled him. He had been a Chuunin of his village until a mission with his squad had ended in absolute failure. He had been the only survivor, but this was because he had ditched the mission half-way. As a result, he had been discharged from military duty. He still remembered when Samui had knocked on his door to summon him.

He still didn't understand why he had been punished. He had realized that the mission was dangerous and had informed his squad leader that he was leaving. Wasn't analyzing a situation supposed to be key ninja trait? But no one else seemed to view that way. They felt he had abandoned his comrades and thus was trash. He had moved out of the village because the looks he received, full of scorn and disappointment and shame, had been too much. Only his childhood friend Setsuna had stuck to his side.

He glanced down at the sword. He had decided that he was going to propose to Setsuna and had been taking odd jobs as a mercenary (with the Raikage's permission of course). Since he had acquired that sword, his work had become much easier. He almost had enough to buy the ring he had seen Setsuna ogle at so many times.

"Man, I'm lucky I found you, eh?" Aoi spoke to the sword, "You must have belonged to one of the Akatsuki members who kidnapped Bee. I'm glad too, that bastard Raikage deserves whatever pain he's going through for the way he mistreated me." Aoi stretched. "Man, a shower sounds good right about now. Can't wait to soak in the water and-"

"Water, you say?" a voice said from behind him. Aoi turned around, kunai in hand, but was blasted back into a wall by a torrent of water. He slumped down but was quickly grabbed by his assailant, who slammed his head down into the ground. "Alright, I've got no time to screw around.

"You know that sword you picked up?" Aoi's head was slammed down into the ground before the attacker raised it enough so that Aoi could see the great blade. "That one? Guess what, dipshit, it's mine. And I don't appreciate others using my sword, especially weak idiots like you."

"Weak?" Aoi asked, enraged. 'I'll have you know I was a Chuunin before I left the military and w-Ugh." His head had been slammed down into the ground a third time.

"Really?" asked the assailant in an amused tone. "You sure as hell don't look like one from up here." The assailant released his head. "Alright, Mr. Chuunin. Stand up and show me what you're made of. And if you try to call anyone for help, you'll be dead before you know what happened."

Aoi struggled to his feet and got his first glance at the intruder. It was a boy of about 16 with white hair and purple eyes. He had a horrific grin plastered on his face that showed off his sharp, shark-like teeth. "You…"

"Well? Bring it."

Aoi charged in with a quick kick that the intruder easily dodged before slamming his elbow into Aoi's stomach. As Aoi staggered backwards, the assailant took his sweet time in delivering a punch to Aoi's nose. The unmistakable crack of a nose shattering followed. The attacker went for a quick kick of his own, but Aoi expertly dodged it and maneuvered past the boy's following punch before grabbing his kunai and slitting the sharkboy's throat in one fluid motion. As the boy slumped down, Aoi sighed and turned around to see his nose in a mirror when he heard "Any ninja, even a Genin, knows to make sure his or her opponent is dead before turning their back."

The kick that followed sent Aoi crashing right into the mirror. It shattered as Aoi struggled to look at the intruder. "And you call yourself a Chuunin?"

The boy's throat was regenerating. It almost looked like..."Water?" Aoi said in disbelief.

"Yup," the boy answered. "You know, you fight like a Genin, Mr. Chuunin. I let you do that." He brought his foot down and pushed Aoi's throat. "Like I said, I have no time to screw around, so I'll be taking my sword now."

"You…Akatsuki…" Aoi gasped out.

"No, my loyalty does not lie with Akatsuki," the boy answered.

"Then…who…loyal…." Aoi struggled to get the words out. The boy stayed silent for about 30 seconds before responding.

"My loyalty…lies with Uchiha Sasuke."

He picked up his sword.

"Well, it's been fun, Mr. Chuunin, but I can't have any witnesses. Nothing personal, really, except that you took my sword."

The boy gave Aoi that haunting grin. It was an image that would stay with him forever. "Well," the boy started, lifting the sword, "bye now."

The sword came down, and Kawazaka Aoi thought no more.

* * *

Suigetsu was lounging around, his sword by his side, while Juugo was sitting down and Karin was reading a book, when Sasuke stood up. "We're leaving."

"Your wounds healed?"

"Yeah, Sasuke responded quietly. "We're heading for Konoha."

Suigetsu caught Juugo's eyes as Karin stood up. The child was analyzing him critically. Suigetsu smiled.

"Let's roll."

A/N: Something to help get the juices , I took some liberties with Mangetsu and Zabuza. Zabuza never struck me as being power-hungry, so his assasination attempt seemed odd. But with Madara having been releaved as a former Mizukage, it makes sense. I think Zabuza did what he did because he knew what Madara was. Anyway, This story is either done or in-progress, depending on what Suigetsu does in the future. Now for Confidence…


	3. Chapter 3

Hozuki Suigetsu had been in a couple of tight spots during the course of his life. Training to become a Swordsman of the Mist had made risks. On top of that, he had been put through many vigorous 'experiments' by Orochimaru. Most recently, he had been in a life-or-death battle between Taka and the Hachibi.

However, he was convinced at this very moment that he was undeniably _fucked._

Nothing could compare to the situation he was in now. He and Juugo were being held prisoners by the samurai of the Iron Country. On top of that, the two of them had been involved in an assault against the Raikage, with plans to fight the other 4 leaders. The fact that he and Juugo were still alive was a miracle in of itself.

They were _fucked._

"Damn it all!" Suigetsu yelled for what was the fifth time, punching the wall of their cell.

Juugo said nothing.

"Sasuke, you bastard!"

"Pipe down in there!" Their guard said.

Suigetsu restrained himself from telling the guard to kindly fuck off only because he did not feel like getting hit by another Raiton.

"Suigetsu, please," Juugo said.

Suigetsu rounded on him. "How can you be so calm about this? He ditched us. _Ditched_ us and left us to die!"

"He didn't ditch us!" Juugo snapped back uncharacteristically, losing his temper. The Bipolar warrior was sitting on one of the beds that the two of them were provided with. "Didn't you hear? He fell unconscious and Madara rescued him and Karin."

"That's nice and all," Suigetsu replied sarcastically, "but what do you call leaving me and you under that rubble after he destroyed the place with Susano'o?"

Juugo had no response to that.

Suigetsu sat down on his own cot. To be honest, he did not know why this upset him so much. The Mist village had been survival of the fittest. He had been abandoned before. He had also abandoned others. Yet Sasuke's betrayal filled him with a rage that he could not seem to control.

'_You're a Mist Ninja, not a Leaf Ninja. Teamwork doesn't mean anything,'_ were the words Zabuza had once told his student. Suigetsu had taken those words to heart.

And yet, his teammate betraying him evoked feelings that Suigetsu did not know he could feel in that particular situation.

He hated it. He hated it so much.

He glanced at Juugo. It seemed his earlier words had affected him.

'Sasuke's not Kimimaro,' Suigetsu thought, feeling some pity for his cellmate. 'And you just realized this. Kimimaro wouldn't have ditched you, not the way Sasuke did.'

Suigetsu sighed. He, too, had been feeling something for Sasuke, Karin, and Juugo. It was a sense of trust, of companionship, of friendship that he had not experienced in a long time. He had let himself be blinded by these emotions.

However, Suigetsu was no fool. He knew that companionship, trust, and friendship could be great assets. What Suigetsu had learned from this experience was something different. He took another glance at Juugo to see the man with a blank, desperate gaze.

He felt the fury rise inside of him like fire. He did not know if he would live until tomorrow. He did not know if he would ever accomplish his goals, defeat Kisame, or find a person he could share a true connection with. However, he did know one thing.

Hozuki Suigetsu would never trust Uchiha Sasuke ever again.


End file.
